Case for pianos



0a. 29, 1940. J. SAUE'RLAND 2,220,054

CASE FOR PIANOS Filed April 12, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l 14 75 INVENTOR. Lfos'EPHQ /u/EELA/va ATTORNEY.

Oct. 29, 1940. J SAUERLAND 2,220,054

CASE FOR PIANOS Filed April 12, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. BY \foJEPH 15/1 (JE/PLA/VD.

7 MATTORNEY.

J. SAUERLAND CASE FOR PIANOS Oct. 29, 1940.'

Filed April 12, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CASE FOR PIAN OS Application April 12, 1940, Serial N0. 329,235

9 Claims.

My invention relates to a case for upright pianos and more particularly to upright pianos of limited height.

Heretofore upright pianos have been of such 5 height that there is sufiicient or ample room above the key-board to mount a music rack so that in all positions it Will be entirely below the top of the piano.

Pianos have been and are now being made 10 which, however, are much lower or shorter, and this diminished height is not accompanied by a lowering of the key-board with the consequent result that the height of the piano above the keyboard mechanism has been greatly reduced and 15 does not leave suificient room between the top of the piano and the key-board projection for a music rack of suflicient height. A music rack supported in the manner heretofore known would therefore project at all times above the top of the piano case or cabinet. This is not at all objectionable when the piano is in use. However, it detracts from the appearance of the piano when it is not in use and closed.

In my present invention I provide a piano case in which a music rack may be placed for use in a suitable position above the keyboard and which, when the piano is not in use, may be moved back out of position to form a part of the piano case and to be entirely below the top and within the contour of the case. My invention also provides a mounting mechanism for the music rack that will enable it to be easily moved from a position of use to a closed position, and which will at all times hold it from shifting or rattling.

5 The various features of my invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a front view of a piano case embodying my invention.

40 Fig. 2 is a plan view of the case shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the case with the upper part being broken away to show the construction of the music rack and with the music rack in closed position.

Fig. 4 is a view in vertical section of the upper part of the cabinet showing the music rack in open position for use.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on lines 55 50 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on lines 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is a perspective of a part of the music rack and its mounting mechanism.

55 Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a modification of the means for drawing and holding the rack back toward a supporting guide.

In the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings the invention is shown as applied to an upright piano case having a vertical '5 cabinet [0 from which there projects forwardly a key-base or key-board ll supported in a conventional manner by legs l2. The key-board has a front rail I3 immediately in front of a row of keys H which actuate the piano mechanism I5 10 and hammers IS. The key-board is closed at the sides of the piano by end walls I1, and the space above the keys and in front of the key mechanism is closed by a key cover or fall-board l8 hinged on a horizontal rear rail l9 immediately back of the keys M. The cover or fall-board also comprises a part hinged thereto to be out of sight when :the fall-board is in vertical position but which may be swung forwardly and downwardly to complete the covering of the keys. This cover mech- '0 anism also comprises a board 2| which swings to vertical position when the fall-board H3 is swung horizontally to closed position and thus serves to close the spaces between the rear rail l9 and a music rack ledge 22 positioned above the rail I9. This construction is a common or known con-. struction, and is not a part of the present invention, but is illustrated merely to show the application of the invention.

The upper portion of the piano extends but a 0 short distance or height above the ledge 22 and is closed by a cover 23 hinged at 24 to the rear wall of the piano. As illustrated in the drawings, the front of the piano may be inset as at 25 to form a space for a music rack 26. The top cover 23 may also have a part cut away back of the music rack 26 continuous with the recession 25, and this portion may be closed by a top 2! hinged at its rear edge to the cover 23 so that it may be moved to the closed position of Fig. 3 or to the '40 open position of Fig. 4.

It will be noted that when the music rack is in closed position as in Fig. 3 it is entirely below the upper surface of the cover 23, and that in the open position or position of use as in Fig. 4, it rests on the ledge 22 and projects above the top of the case. When in the position of Fig. 3 the music rack 26 rests against a pair of guides 28, one on each edge or end of the rack and overlapped by the rack, and is supported by a pair of '50 stops 29, one of which is secured to the bottom of the respective guides 28. The stops 29 are positioned a distance below the top 2?, responding to the height of the music rack 26, so that the upper edge of the rack when in this position is even with the top 23 and 21 and thus forms an enclosing part of the cabinet. The upper edge of the music rack may be provided with a molding 30 to match the edge 3| of the top 23 and form a continuation of the edge.

When in the position of Fig. 3 the rack 26 is held tightly against the front faces of the guides 28 by means of a spring and lever mechanism. This mechanism comprises a board or plate 32 pivotally supported on its lower edge at its opposite ends by hinges 33 secured to the rearwardly projecting brackets 34 beyond the opposite ends of the music rack 30 so that the board 32 may tilt or rock at its lower edges on the brackets 34. The board or plate 32 may be cut away at its opposite ends as at 35. The plate 32 is also secured at its upper edge by hinges 36 to the upper edge of a plate 31 which is hinged by means of hinges at its lower edge to the rear surface of the music rack 30. The plate 32 thus serves as a lever swinging vertically about a fulcrum at its lower end and the plate 31 serves as a link between the upper edge of the plate 32 and the rack 30. The link 3? and plate 32 are drawn toward each other by a spring 39 secured to the plates 32 and 3! at their lower edges, as for example, by loop 40 and pin 4!, Figs. 5, 6 and 7, and tensioned so as to draw the lower end of the link 31 and themusic rack tightly against the guides 28. This serves not only to hold the music rack tightly in position against rattling, but to enable it to be lifted and moved forward against the tension of the springs 39.

It will be understood that other types of lever and linkage than the types 32 and 37 may be employed. The plates that extend from one side to the other of the music rack and are hinged as shown in the drawings have the advantage of holding the music rack rigidly against side thrusts and thus prevent any movement between the music rack and the case, and consequent rattling.

To bring the music rack up to a position of use as shown in Fig. 4 it is merely necessary to lift it. For this purpose it may be grasped by the molding 30 at its upper edge and merely pulled upwardly. As it is pulled upwardly the lever plate 32 will be swung backwardly by the link plate 31 against the action of the springs 39. The music rack is lifted in this manner until its lower edge clears or rises above the upper surface of the rack ledge 22 whereupon the lower edge of the music rack may be tilted forwardly to rest in one of a number of grooves 42 in the upper surface of the ledge 22. r

The rack will be held tightly in the grooves by the action of the spring 39, the upper edges of the rack resting against the upper'edges of the guides 28. The rack may be adjusted to any one of the grooves 42, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 4, to give different degrees of tilting to the rack. To return the rack to its closed position it is only necessary to lift it at its upper end until it clears the grooves whereupon the spring 39 will draw it tightly against the guides 28 and it will swing or fall into its position on stops 29, and the cabinet will be completely closed. The cover 21 may be opened or closed independently of the rack 26 and top 23, this cover being for the purpose of controlling the release of tone or music from the piano and thus to control its volume, leaving the major portion of the top in a flat position for decorative purposes, lamps, vases, etc.

In Fig. 8 there is shown a modification of the arrangement of rack and spring. In this modification a spring 43 is secured between a bracket 44 mounted on and forming a part of the case, and an eyelet 45 secured to the rear surface of the rack 26.

Through the above invention I can provide a piano case of the most limited space above the key-board with a rack of much larger height, enabling the rack to be positioned and adjusted to the best position for use while at the same time the rack may be readily and easily formed into a non-projecting part of the piano case. The invention may be used with pianos of any desired size but it is of particular advantage with low pianos. For example, a piano with a total height of forty inches may thus have a rack that may be positioned in the normal position for reading and which may recede completely into the contour of the cabinet when not in use.

What I claim is:

1. A piano case having a substantially horizontal music rack supporting ledge, a substantially vertical guide spaced back of said ledge and having a rack support, a rack to rest on said support below the top of said case and with its lower edge below the upper surface of said ledge and movable upwardly and then forwardly onto said ledge.

2. A piano case having a substantially horizontal music rack supporting ledge, a substantially vertical guide spaced back of said ledge and havinga rack support, a rack to rest on said support below the top of said case and with its lower edge below the upper surface of said ledge and movable upwardly and then forwardly onto said ledge, and means to draw said rack resiliently toward said guide.

3. A piano case having a substantially horizontal music rack supporting ledge, a substantially vertical guide spaced back of said ledge and having a rack support, a music rack to rest on said support below said case and with its lower edge below the upper surface of said ledge and movable upwardly and thence forwardly onto said ledge, a lever board extending back of said rack and hinged at its lower edge to said case beyond the opposite ends of said rack, a link board hinged to said lever board and said music rack to link said rack to said lever and a spring to draw said rack backwardly toward said lever.

4. The article of claim 3 in which said spring is a tension spring between said link and said lever board.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said ledge has spaced grooves into which the lower edge of said music rack may be spaced in different positions of tilting.

6. A piano case having a substantially horizontal music rack supporting ledge, a substantially vertical guide spaced back of said ledge and having a support for said rack, a rack to reston said support below the topof said case and'with its lower edge below the upper surface of said ledge and against said guide and movable upwardly and thence forwardly onto said ledge, a lever pivoted on said case, a link connecting said lever to said rack and resilient meansto tilt said lever and link to bring said rack tightly against said guide.

'7. The piano case of claim 1 in which the upper edge of said music rack conforms to the upper edge of said case and forms a continuation of it when the rack is in position against said guide and supported on said support.

8. A piano case having a substantially horizontal music rack supporting ledge, a substantially vertical guide spaced back of said ledge and having a rack support, a rackto rest on said support below the top of said case and with its lower edge below the upper surface of said ledge and against said guide, and movable upwardly and thence forwardly onto said ledge, a lever pivoted on said case, a link connecting said lever to said rack and a spring attached to said rack and to a part of said case to draw said rack resiliently back against said guide.

9. A piano case having a horizontal music rack supporting ledge, a rack to rest on said ledge and movable to a position back of said ledge and then downwardly to a position with its lower edge below the upper surface of said ledge, a support for said rack in its lower position and a lever pivoted on said case and connected to said rack to guide said rack in movement from said support to said ledge.

JOSEPH SAUERLAND. 

